The present invention relates to an extendable and retractable cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to improvements in a cleaning apparatus suitable for cleaning a header plate and adjacent areas in a steam generator of an atomic power station.
In a known arrangement, when sludge accumulates on a header plate or in the proximity thereof in a steam generator of an atomic power station, such accumulation has to be removed, as shown in FIG. 13, each time by manually mounting a housing 05 adjacent an opening 03 through a steam generator main body 01. A plurality of ejection liquid feed pipes 06 are joined in series to extend from the housing 05 to a position above a central portion of a header plate 04. Washing liquid fed through a washing liquid feed hose 02 connected to the housing 05 passes through the plurality of ejection liquid feed pipes 06 and is ejected from a nozzle 07 at the tip end of the ejection liquid feed pipes 06. Thereby sludge accumulated on a header plate 04 and in the proximity thereof is removed.
In the case of the above-described prior art cleaning apparatus, since it is necessary to manually mount the housing 05 adjacent the opening 03 of the steam generator main body 01 and also to join and extend a plurality of ejection liquid feed pipes 06 each time cleaning is effected, the cleaning operation requires much labor and time, and there is fear that an operator might possibly be exposed to radioactive rays.